Yet this sin was not only §7spiritual and imminent, but transient likewise, it reached against the second Table; and therefore against the principles of nature, and against society, out of which God gathers a church; there was false witness and murder in this sin; In this respect it is, that the sins of the second Table are greater then the sins of the first, because they are against more clear light; A natural conscience hath a clearer eye in these things, here is light upon light; for both grace and nature condemn these sins. Yet for order in sinning, the rise of all sin against man is our sinning against God first, for none sin against men, but ⟨p. 10⟩they sin against God in the first place, whereupon the breach of the first commandment is the ground of the breach of all the rest; for if God were set up in the heart in the first place, there parents would be honoured, and all kind of injury suppressed for conscience sake: the Scripture gives this as a cause of the notorious courses of wicked men, that God is not in all their thoughts, they forget there is a God of vengeance, and a day of reckoning: the fool would needs enforce upon his heart, that there is no God, 1and what follows, Corrupt they are, there is none doth good, they eat up my people as bread, &c. they make no more bones of devouring men and their estates, than they make conscience of eating a piece of bread: What a wretched condition hath sin brought man ⟨p. 11⟩unto, that the great God who filleth heaven and earth should yet have no place in the heart which he hath especially made for himself? The sun is not so clear as this truth, that God is, for all things in the world are because God is; if he were not, nothing could be: It is from him that wicked men have that strength they have to commit sin, therefore sin proceeds from Atheism (especially these plotting sins) for if God were more thought on, he would take off the soul from sinful contrivings, and fix it upon himself.
Yet this sinne was not onely §7spirituall and imminent, but transient likewise, it reached against the second Table; and therefore against the principles of nature, and against society, out of which God gathers a church; there was false witnesse and murther in this finne; In this respect it is, that the sinnes of the second Table are greater then the sinnes of the first, because they are against more cleare light; A naturall conscience hath a cleerer eye in these things, here is light upon light; for both grace and nature condemne these sinnes. Yet for order in sinning, the rise of all sinne against man is our sinning against God first, for none sinne against men, but ⟨p. 10⟩they sinne against God in the first place, whereupon the breach of the first commandement is the ground of the breach of all the rest; for if God were set up in the heart in the first place, there parents would be honoured, and all kinde of injury suppressed for conscience sake: the Scripture gives this as a cause of the notorious courses of wicked men, that God is not in all their thoughts, they forget there is a God of vengeance, and a day of reckoning: the foole would needs inforce upon his heart, that there is no God, 1and what followes, Corrupt they are, there is none doth good, they eate up my people as bread, &c. they make no more bones of devouring men and their estates, than they make conscience of eating a peece of bread: What a wretched condition hath sinne brought man ⟨p. 11⟩unto, that the great God who filleth heaven and earth should yet have no place in the heart which he hath especially made for himselfe? The sunne is not so cleare as this truth, that God is, for all things in the world are because God is; if he were not, nothing could bee: It is from him that wicked men have that strength they have to commit sinne, therefore sinne proceeds from Atheisme (especially these plotting sinnes) for if God were more thought on, hee would take off the soule from sinfull contrivings, and fixe it upon himselfe.
- 1Psal. 14. 1.
